Premier League: Sky Blues Set For a Boxing Day Bonanza

Manchester City vs Leicester City

The Blue Moon is rising again and the Premier League game between the Sky Blues and the Foxes is the next entertainment on offer for fans on the 26^th.

Both teams come into the game on the back of a 4-0 win over Newcastle in the league, while Leicester were in EFL Cup action on Wednesday night against Liverpool, and that will have taken a lot out of the Foxes.

After leading 3-1 at half-time, they conceded a 95^th-minute equaliser and then lost out on penalties, a psychological as well as a physical blow. Meanwhile, the Sky Blues had full focus on this match, having already exited the EFL Cup.

The Premier League 2021 odds have huge faith in Pep Guardiola’s side with the odds of a home win at 1.19.

The Foxes are no mugs since they’ve been top four regulars in recent seasons. But this offer is not a reflection on Leicester’s prowess or lack of it, it just speaks volumes of Manchester City’s dominance.

Talking Points

Fixture pile up not a problem for Manchester City

While Premier League managers and captains are set to meet on Thursday afternoon to discuss fixture pile-up and player welfare, there are few complaints from the City boss and his players.

His counterpart at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, and the Reds captain Jordan Henderson have spoken up and some fans may think it strange that players earning gazillions will struggle to play three games in a week.

But the Premier League’s instruction that a team with 14 senior players available must fulfil a fixture may put some of the smaller squads under pressure. That’s not such a problem for Manchester City who have a deep squad and a well-established conveyor belt of talent.

The Sky Blues strolled to victory over Newcastle United and to make it eight successive Premier League victories and guarantee top spot at Christmas, but Pep Guardiola still criticised his teams first half performance, saying it was one of the poorest they have played all season. Newcastle may be in a mess, but the Sky Blues were 2-0 up at the break.

Wide man Bernardo Silva, who seemed to be on the way out in the summer, has been in the form of his life as he scored seven goals. Meanwhile, wing-back Joao Cancelo is in world-class form too. He’s an accomplished defender and as good as many forwards when he joins the attack and he scored a brilliant goal in City’s win over Newcastle.

Manchester City's Joao Cancelo aims to score against Leicester City in the Premier League — Joao Cancelo scores Manchester City’s second goal against Newcastle United

Kevin De Bruyne is back from injury and he scored a brace in City’s 7-0 destruction of Leeds United. And when he’s in top form, the Belgian is arguably the best player in the league.

The squad players are all making valuable contributions. While he’s struggling to score, Gabriel Jesus has made seven assists and Guardiola has even managed to make a point to his players that he won’t accept any nonsense.

Midfield aces Jack Grealish and Phil Foden fell briefly out of favour after they were reported to be clubbing in the aftermath of City’s recent victory over Leeds United. They were both dropped for the Newcastle game and could be in line for a return to strengthen the boss’s hand.

Can Leicester bounce back again?

What a fixture for the Foxes to encounter after such a draining match on Wednesday. They have had an indifferent first half of the campaign upon looking at their Premier League 2021 results, winning six, drawing four, and losing six.

They seem to be able to bounce back from defeats. Having lost to Aston Villa and then Napoli in the Europa League, a depleted Leicester made mincemeat of Newcastle but this would be one heck of a bounce.

They can still rely on experienced striker Jamie Vardy, who has nine goals, as well as bagging an early brace in the EFL Cup defeat to Liverpool. And midfield maestro James Maddison seems to be back to his best with four goals and three assists and a stunner in the EFL defeat.

Brendan Rodgers has some fine players in his squad, but I doubt he has enough to trouble the league leaders.

History

The Sky Blues have had much the better of the head-to-heads, winning 17 of the 29 meetings in the Premier League era,while the Foxes have won eight and drawn four.

The last four games have resulted in two wins each. Silva scored as the Sky Blues beat Leicester 1-0 at the King Power Stadium in September – a month after the Foxes had won by the same score line in the Community Shield.

Last season, the Manchester side won 2-0 in Leicester while Rodgers’ men stunned their hosts when they won 5-2 at the Etihad Stadium.

Betting Tip

	Manchester City vs Leicester City	Correct Score Manchester City 2-0 @ 6.00
	December 26, 23:00 (GMT+8)

The Draw is at SBOTOP odds of 6.56 and a Leicester victory as long as 10.60, so is there a case for taking a punt on the outsider? My short answer is no.

There looks to be a two-goal spread with the hosts at odds of 1.97 with a -2.00 goals handicap and the Foxes at 1.92 with that start. And I’m backing the Sky Blues to make it nine wins on the bounce and seven at home.